A medial ligament knee injury kept one potential England regular from making a single international appearance at the World Cup competition in Brazil, but for Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 20, watching from the dugout served a dual purpose: to witness the support of the Three Lions fans first hand and to offer hope that it will not be his last taste of tournament football.

"So disappointed that we've come home early and that my World Cup was over before I was fit to play, but hopefully it won't be my last," the Gunner, who scored two goals and two assists from six Premier League starts last term, said via his official Twitter account.

There was hope that Oxlade-Chamberlain may have been fit to either a: make a cameo appearance for the second group game, against Uruguay, or b: start the Costa Rica match. However, neither scenario occurred and the youngster remains stuck with the 15 international caps he banked prior to the trip to South America.

He continued: "Thanks to all the medical team that worked so hard to give me the best chance possible to play especially [FA physio] Steve Kemp and [private clinician] Carl Todd.